Emma Henderson MBE
Decision-Making in Turbulent Change | AVIATE

PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER

Former airline captain and award-winning speaker Emma Henderson MBE helps leaders make confident decisions under pressure using AVIATE — a practical framework for turbulent change.

Get in Touch

A woman in a pink dress holding an award plaque stands next to a man in formal attire. They are on stage at an event with a large screen behind them displaying a photo and the text 'Emma Henderson Bookers Choice 2025.' The woman is smiling and the man is holding a glass of wine.

Award-Winning Speaker

Winner of the 2025 Bookers' Choice Award at The Speaker Awards.

“Emma Henderson is an authentic and excellent storyteller with a very natural stage presence. An inspirational journey, told with humour, not only does Emma already have some strong bureau friendly material, her speech has very clear messages which really engages an audience and makes her someone we can suggest in confidence to our client base.” - The Speakers Award

Problem → Promise

When the world is moving fast, hesitation is expensive.

Leaders tell me their biggest pain isn’t information, it’s making the next right decision amid competing risks, limited time, and noisy stakeholders.

Gain Control and Stability. You will replace the emotional paralysis of stress with a reliable, systematic approach to crisis, instantly knowing how to triage any challenge, prioritise core operations, and commit to the next right decision.
Achieve Unbreakable Inner Calm. Become the unshakable anchor that stabilises any situation. You will project a commanding confidence that cuts through chaos, instantly building trust and ensuring everyone around you performs with resilience and focus.
Unlock Decisive, Unified Momentum. You will master the ability to quickly cut through data noise and conflicting risks to reach a clear, definitive conclusion. You’ll know how to communicate that vision so effectively that your entire team executes the plan without hesitation, driving progress immediately.

My Promises

Ready To Start?

Download the AVIATE Guide for free!

Trusted By

Smiling woman with shoulder-length brown hair wearing a sleeveless black top, carrying a black jacket over her shoulder, standing near a window with a white wall background.

What Makes Emma Different?

As one of only 500 female airline captains in the world, Emma was trusted to fly multi-million pound passenger jets, working in a high-pressured, male-dominated environment, where a momentary lapse in leadership and performance risked catastrophic results.

These challenges are not unique to the aviation industry.

A smiling woman in a pilot uniform standing in front of a JetBlue airplane at an airport runway.

Leadership is A Privilege

A role which comes with great responsibility and yet today’s leaders are dealing with challenges of stress, overload, imposter syndrome - and burnout.

As a leader, who do you turn to in times of crisis?

BOOK EMMA FOR YOUR EVENT

From Global Platforms

To Your Mindset: Insights that Travel
Delivering the crucial mindset shifts from the world's most innovative stages.

To Signature Keynotes

Command, Clarity & High-Performance. Powerful events fuse real-world gravitas with actionable leadership.

And Action-Based Workshops

Sessions that deliver structured frameworks and practical skills teams can implement today.

Emma Gives You Measurable Outcomes

Measurable impact, not fluffy theory. Emma brings cockpit-tested frameworks that sharpen how teams decide, communicate, and recover — creating calm, confident performance under real pressure.

Faster decisions, fewer reversals

Better risk calls and trade-offs

Stronger brief/debrief habits

Greater calm and cohesion under pressure

What Do Our Clients Say?

testimonials

"Sometimes you meet someone who makes an impact on you and you need to share them because you know how powerful it could be for others!"

Natwest Group

"Emma is a true professional in every sense... Organised, collaborative, and wholly focused on delivering exceptional value to her clients. On stage, she combines warmth with presence & a touch of humour, to create an immediate connection... I would have no hesitation in recommending her for any audience seeking insight on authenticity & grounded leadership. She brings both lived experience and humanity to every engagement."

Holo Global Ltd

"Emma is a truly inspiring speaker who brings a combination of lived leadership experience, emotional intelligence, and unshakable resilience. Her story is not only powerful—it’s delivered with warmth, humour, and an authenticity that resonates deeply. This is the kind of thinking that empowers leadership teams, inspires growth, and uplifts businesses."

British Compressed Gases Association

"Her journey as a commercial airline pilot was fascinating and full of relatable lessons for our audience. She shared her story with authenticity, warmth, and honesty, drawing on her experiences to highlight the importance of remaining calm under pressure, clear communication, and trust in your team."

British Franchise Association

"Emma is nothing short of an exceptional speaker... She is engaging, funny, emotive and serious as well as inspiring and galvanising all at the same time. She reads the room and adapts and adjusts to bring the audience on a journey with her, your audience will hang on her every word... Our guests came away talking about our event and the impact it had upon them."

Butterwick

"Emma was a pleasure to work with and was warm, engaging, and exceptionally professional... Feedback from attendees was very positive, with many highlighting her keynote as a standout moment. Comments described her as “particularly inspiring and thought-provoking” and “very impressive.” Her insights into the aviation industry were both informative and aspirational."

EDF Energy

"Her ability to connect with colleagues, share her experiences so openly and clearly and bring real insight into the conversation really made our event a huge success... She spoke with authenticity, warmth and passion... making complex topics like equity, leadership and allyship feel relatable and actionable for all our staff... Her passion for change is infectious and so if you’re looking for a speaker who can inspire action and challenge perspectives, Emma Henderson is the speaker for you!"

Govia Thameslink Railway

"Emma Henderson is nothing short of exceptional — her brilliance and inspiring presence was evident... The session... was not only highly engaging but also infused with humour, keeping everyone captivated from start to finish. She skilfully combined laughter with meaningful insights, leaving the audience feeling uplifted, motivated, and equipped with practical takeaways... Emma’s infectious energy resonated with everyone... truly elevated the entire event.”

Society Of Local Council Clerks

"Emma Henderson MBE transformed our SWA Annual Conference... She fused her rare aviation career with hands-on leadership lessons, creating a powerful mindset shift that resonated with attendees. Delegates told us they felt inspired to reflect on how they do business, on leadership, and to think differently about resilience. If you want a speaker who brings authority, actionable insight and lasting inspiration, Emma is that speaker.”

Scottish Wholesale Association

"Emma’s presentation was insightful, engaging and articulate. The ability to skilfully weave anecdotes pertinent to our industry by drawing from her own personal experience really set the tone and showed the amount of research and preparation undertaken. Emma had the entire audience under her spell from the onset... Emma’s can-do attitude showed us what is possible when you set your mind to the task in hand... deliver with an effortless abundance of charm.”

Travel Insurance Industry

“Emma is a natural storyteller and had everyone gripped! Feedback from the group has been so positive, everyone left feeling inspired and ready to fly high! You set clear expectations and tailored the content to make it relevant to the audience and event.”

Moray Business Women

Book a discovery call now!

Let’s make things happen. Book a quick discovery call so we can explore how I can help — whether it’s speaking, coaching, or collaborating. It’s a relaxed chat to find out if we’re the right fit.

Email emma@emma-henderson.com or fill in the form to connect with Emma

Emma Henderson MBE Decision-Making in Turbulent Change | AVIATE